Thursday, May 15, 2014

S4C and Welsh Identity debate

S4C and Welsh Identity

Few weeks ago, I led a debate which I called S4C and Welsh Identity. I did quite a bit of preparation for my speech to open the debate. However I did not write anything down and just spoke as if in a conversation. Never again. I was shocked by how scattergun was the transcript. I thought it went rather well in the debating chamber, leading to a good debate, but I had to tidy it up a bit before putting up on my website. Anyway, here it is.

Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire)
(Con):

S4C and
its link with cultural identity are hugely important in Wales and a matter on
which there is a large measure of agreement across all parties and among all
Welsh MPs.I would have liked to have
had more Members from other parties present for the debate. Unfortunately,
however, we clash with the Welsh Grand Committee, which meets at the same
time.So I fear that we may be short of
the sort of numbers that I might have expected. This is certainly not a
reflection of the strong interest of Welsh MPs in the future of S4C.

My
personal interest developed in the 1960s and 1970s, when I became much more aware
of my own identity - as we do tend to as we grow older.I realised I was Welsh to the core.First and foremost, I would always describe
myself as Welsh. I have looked through records of my ancestors, and I do not
have a single one who was not born in Montgomeryshire, Sir Drefaldwyn and every
single one was a first-language Welsh speaker.

In the
1960s, my generation—my five sisters and I—were the first not to speak Welsh;
we spoke only English. When I became a Member of the National Assembly for
Wales in 1999, my sense of identity grew stronger and was such that I felt that
I had to learn to speak Welsh. Since then I have become bilingual, and if
anyone were to ask me what were the proudest achievements in my life, one of them
would be becoming bilingual in the language of my own nation.

I have
been asked why I sought today’s debate. It stemmed from a meeting with the
chief executive of S4C, in which we talked about the channel’s forward budget
and future programme development. It was about a chance conversation, three
years on from the trauma experienced when the inflationary link on which S4C
funding was based was broken. The avenue through which the funding is processed
also changed so that it came via the BBC Trust, from the licence fee. That
change was also significant, as well as being a sensitive issue, causing much concern
in Wales.

Another
factor in the timing of the debate is that we have a new Secretary of State for
Culture, Media and Sport. There will inevitably be something of an induction
course for the new Secretary of State.He will soon realise that the S4C issue is not a quiet one. It might
well be on his desk more than he expects. The issue is important, and he needs
to be aware of just how important S4C, the Welsh language and the cultural link
between them is to the Welsh people.

S4C is inextricably linked to the
language and Welsh identity. More than anything else, it is the Welsh language
that makes Wales special. As I said, my first interest in Welsh identity,
including in the language, developed in the 1960s. At that time—this might come
as a shock to my colleagues—I won a bardic chair for a 20,000-word essay on the
future of the Welsh language. It might cause some amusement to hear that my
pseudonym was Taurus ap Tomos; make of that what you will.

The
conclusion of my essay was pessimistic, not an unusual conclusion to draw in
the 1960s. It was that the Welsh
language would disappear as a spoken language. We have made a huge advance
since then, because that is not something that people would say today. It is
easy to forget just how negative prospects were in the 1960’s.

Before
1982, there had been a build-up to the establishment of S4C. Some Welsh
language programmes appeared in the 1960s and 1970s on other platforms, the BBC
and HTV Cymru. Before the 1979 general election, there was much debate about
whether a new Welsh language channel would be created. But it was created, even
though there was a bit of a hoo-hah after the election. The Government of the
day was facing economic and budgetary pressures and had to consider carefully
before committing to new spending. There was a lot of support for a new
channel; the Welsh community came together and applied pressure, as they did
three years ago, too. The outcome was that the then Government, led by Mrs
Thatcher, created S4C in November 1982.

Despite
the hoo-hah leading up to it, the creation of S4C under a Conservative
Government is something that I look back on as a major step forward for the
language. If we look at the record of the Conservative party, creating S4C was
not the only thing it did: the Welsh Language Act 1993 was also a major step
forward.The creation of the Welsh
Language Board was another Conservative initiative.

I am
therefore proud, not only of the creation of S4C in 1982 — there can be debate
about how that came about, particularly the influence of Gwynfor Evans’s threat
to fast to death, and Opposition criticism of the prevarication in introducing
the necessary Bill—but the budget it was granted. There has always been a good
and adequate budget.Since the beginning
S4C has been good value. In 1991, a guaranteed link with inflation was
introduced, and that funded the channel on a confident basis right up until
2010, when the incoming Government faced a similar position to that of the
Government which came to power in 1979, facing threats to the economy and a
need to cut back on public expenditure.

There is
room for debate about the impact of the inflationary link. On the one hand there
was the positive element: S4C had a guaranteed income in a business in which
forward commitments need to be made, and independence from Government
interference. However, the statutory link to inflation may have led to an
element of complacency. That guaranteed income meant that S4C had to keep
thinking not about its market, but about satisfying the people in control of
paying it.

It was
quite an experience for me being involved in legislating to break the inflation
link. I served on the Committee that examined the Public Bodies Bill. I had
1,200 e-mails on the issue, which is four times more than on any other subject
since I became an MP. After I had spoken in committee I became something of a
target. We even had someone carted out of the Public Gallery, because she began
to shout at me. There was a huge rumpus in Wales as well. I was being
doorstepped all over this building by various people lobbying. What all this
showed me was that the people of Wales really cared about their channel. They
were worried that changes would damage it, although over the past three years,
in my opinion, things have worked out okay.

There was
a second big change: rather than being funded directly from Westminster, the
channel is now funded from the licence fee through the BBC Trust.There is an issue consequent on this change that
has raised its head this morning. Many were worried about that change at the
time. Their worry is that we need an independent S4C that is not influenced by
a paymaster—that is, not influenced by the BBC.

The
comments we have seen reported in the media today are a bit overblown. The
director of BBC Cymru Wales has spoken about S4C viewing figures at peak hours,
which might be perceived as wanting to influence the management of S4C.I am not sure that that is right. What is
crucial is that S4C is free and independent—editorially, operationally and
managerially. The slightest suggestion that there might be some interference is
what has caused a hoo-hah today. I welcome that, as it emphasises just how
important that independence is.

I must
say that the relationship between S4C and the BBC in Wales is probably better
than anybody could have expected.

There is one aspect of the Public
Bodies Act 2011 on which I would like a reassurance from the Minister—I am sure
he will be happy to give it. Section 31 states that the Secretary of State for
Culture, Media and Sport must ensure “sufficient funding” to deliver a Welsh
language channel in Wales. That is rather imprecise. However, it is important
that it is stated in the Act and that the Secretary of State has this
responsibility.

My focus
today is on the link between S4C and the language.It is what I think is most important.However, to a lot of people, the importance
of S4C is about not just the language but the
contribution that it makes to the economy. I was involved in economic
development for the whole of Wales around the time that S4C was created. There followed
a blossoming of the creative industries. A large number of small production businesses
set up in parts of Wales where there had been depopulation, and to which it was
difficult to attract other forms of business. S4C does not produce its own programmes
but commissions it from others.A large
proportion of those commissions go not to the BBC but to independent companies.
Today we have four major companies that produce programmes for S4C. These
include: Boom Pictures, a successful international company; Tinopolis, a major
company that produces “Question Time”; Rondo; and Cwmni Da, a company that has
sold programmes to China.

We should
not forget, however, that the last thing we want is for S4C to drop into a
comfort zone of just working with established companies. We need to make
certain that it is not just the four established companies with good
relationships with S4C that continue to get all the work, and that there is
still a blossoming of new, small companies in the more remote parts of Wales
where it is still more difficult to develop the economy.

Simon
Hart (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire) (Con): My hon. Friend will have heard
that S4C is moving its headquarters to Carmarthen. The economic contribution
that that will make across west Wales is profound. His point is a good one, and
one that S4C is beginning to realise itself.

Glyn Davies: I agree with my hon. Friend.
There will obviously be views on whether S4C should move its Headquarters from
the capital, where political activity is mainly based and the creative
industries are concentrated.In my
opinion the move is the right one to where the language is under most threat, in
what I term the heartlands, where Welsh is still the language of the street and
the playground.Carmarthen is one of
those places. Those are the areas where we have seen the biggest loss in Welsh
speakers in recent years and where S4C can play a role in helping to stabilise
decline in use of the language.

Mr Mark
Williams (Ceredigion) (LD): Like others, I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. To
return to education and the importance of the language, does he agree that an
essential role of S4C has been to buttress education policy in schools? It is
not a tool of Government policy but has meant that children from an anglicised
background have had the Welsh language made familiar in their homes in a
natural way. Does he also agree that evidence for the fact that S4C is in no
way complacent is the international success of many of its commissions, not
least “Hinterland”, which was filmed in Ceredigion?

Glyn Davies: Indeed. The only difficulty I
had with ‘Hinterland’ was that it rained pretty much throughout the first
episode and was probably not particularly helpful to attracting tourists to
Ceredigion. However, I have watched the later episodes, and greatly enjoyed
them.

My
request for today’s debate was instigated by a meeting with S4C where we
discussed future funding. Decisions on future programming have to be made two
or three years ahead, and those making the decisions need to have an idea of
what their budget will be. Although most of S4C’s budget comes from the licence
fee, which is fairly predictable, a certain amount still comes from the
Westminster Government—from DCMS—and is guaranteed for only a limited period.
Programmes such as “Hinterland” take more than two years to deliver, from
initial discussions to delivery.To
commit to a programme such as ‘Hinterland’ a fair degree of certainty is
needed. That is one of the main reasons I requested today’s debate, before
discussions on S4C’s future funding are taken. The licence fee we know about,
and the Minister may have already started discussions on its future.
Officially, they will probably start after the next election.If we are going to see good and
internationally successful programmes such as “Hinterland”, we need to have a period in which the board and chief
executive of S4C can commit to delivering programmes in two years’ time.That requires some certainty about the
budget.

Very soon
now — perhaps it has already begun — the Secretary of State will be starting
the long process of reviewing the BBC’s charter, and part of that will be its
relationship with S4C and the continuation of the funding stream. There will
also be discussions, which I hope honourable members will be part of, about S4C
deciding what sort of organisation it wants to be. There will be changes — nothing
stands still, particularly in the fast-moving world of the creative industries.
There needs to be a serious look at how much money comes in from advertising
which is a significant part of S4C’s funding.This income inevitably is effected by viewing figures.When I see headlines about audience figures,
I never really trust them.We have to
look at the whole picture and what is behind the figures. S4C produces a lot of
children’s programmes, which do not count in the way audience figures are
measured.S4C has been incredibly
successful in that field, exporting children’s programmes all over the world.
Also, there is a viewing trend affecting all television channels by the growth
of online viewing, which inevitably leads to a reduction in audience figures.
We have to look at the issue in the round before we make a judgment about
viewing figures. There will be a significant debate about the sort of S4C we
want. As I said, I think S4C is producing a document later this month which
will be a chance for us to start engaging with it.

The
United Kingdom has been a hugely successful entity for centuries. A key part of
that is that each nation within the union, England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, has to feel a sense that it is belonging to a team and that
its differences and uniqueness are properly recognised right across the UK;
that the whole team recognises its special features. In Wales, we have a much
loved language, which about 20% of people speak; it is very successful. We have
probably stopped its decline, but there remains a constant battle to protect and
boost it. That has to be respected throughout the United Kingdom, not just in
Wales, where we are very aware of it.That
is why it is important that we have a debate about S4C, the language and the
identity of Wales here in the UK Parliament. That is why I have secured today’s
debate and why I have enjoyed sharing my views on the issue with hon. Members.